1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an opposed piston engine and, more particularly, to an opposed piston engine which increases the thermal, mechanical, and volumetric efficiencies that make up the overall efficiency of an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern internal combustion engines have changed little since the 1910. They generally consist of an Otto cycle internal combustion engine fed by poppet valves, the valves being camshaft actuated. Advances in engine management and materials have increased efficiency to the current levels. The current levels, expressed as a percentage of the available energy contained in a gallon of gasoline, which is not lost through mechanical, thermal, or volumetric inefficiency, is about 25 to 35 percent.
It has long been understood that an opposed piston engine delivers superior performance for its size. Two pistons, sharing a single cylinder, cycling together, produce tremendous power. The problem has been how to valve them. Because the pistons meet at the center of the cylinder, there is no place for a conventional valve system. The current practice is to rely on the use of scavenger valves. This is somewhat effective but cannot meet today's stringent environmental standards, relegating the opposed piston engine to naval ships and power plants.
Therefore, a need exists for an effective and efficient opposed piston engine which increases the thermal, mechanical, and volumetric efficiencies that make up the overall efficiency of an engine. The related art is represented by the following references of interest.
Internal combustion engines, and in particular, opposed piston engines have been the subject of several prior patents. U.S. Pat. No. 2,298,219, issued Oct. 6, 1942 to Edgar M. Major, describes an ignition system for internal combustion engines including an electrode pin at the top of the combustion chamber and a firing pin on the piston. U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,681, issued Aug. 20, 1968 to James W. Northrup, describes electrical operation of valves for internal combustion engines including an electromagnet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,894, issued Apr. 29, 1997 to John M. Clarke, describes a dual compression and dual expansion engine. The Clarke engine is an opposed piston engine that utilizes a cylindrical sleeve valve.
German Patent Application Publication No. DE 198 57 734 A1, published Jun. 29, 2000, describes an opposed piston engine with a Hall sensor arrangement for changing an induction valve between two and four stroke modes, a holding magnet for controlling a valve during compression, and control electronics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,309 B1, issued Nov. 20, 2001 to Robert W. Burrahm et al., describes an opposed piston engine with reserve power capacity including a conventional electronic engine control unit.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0010307 A1, published Jan. 16, 2003 for Rosario Truglio, describes a piston with an integrated spark electrode. The spark electrode in Truglio creates a spark when it is close to a power plug in the wall of the combustion chamber. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0024502 A1, published Feb. 6, 2003 for Peter Kreuter, describes a supplemental control valve device for supplemental flow control of an internal combustion engine intake channel, which includes magnets.
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0029911 A1, published Oct. 18, 2001 for Wei Yang et al. (microcombustion engine/generator); and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0117132 A1, printed Aug. 29, 2002 to Egidio D'Alpaos et al. (method of estimating the effect of the parasitic currents in an electromagnetic actuator for the control of an engine valve).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0139323 A1, published Oct. 3, 2002 to Jack L. Kerrebrock (opposed piston linearly oscillating power unit); and U.S. Pat. No. Application Publication No. 2002/0157622 A1, published Oct. 31, 2002 for Meintschel et al. (device for actuating a gas exchange valve).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0019445 A1, printed Jan. 30, 2003 for Tetsuo Muraji (internal combustion engine with exhaust gas control device) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0034470 A1, published Feb. 20, 2003 for Gianni Padroni (control method for an electromagnetic actuator for the control of a valve of an engine from a rest condition); and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0044293 A1, published Mar. 6, 2003 for Charles L. Gray, Jr. (fully-controlled, free-piston engine).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 936,074, issued Oct. 5, 1909 to Warren W. Annable (electrically operated valve); U.S. Pat. No. 1,590,940, issued Jun. 29, 1926 to Fred N. Hallett (gas engine); U.S. Pat. No. 1,736,639, issued Nov. 19, 1929 to Josef Szydlowski (driving mechanism for internal combustion engines).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 1,899,217, issued Feb. 28, 1933 to Edward S. Taylor et al. (internal combustion engine); U.S. Pat. No. 2,253,204, issued Aug. 19, 1941 to Anthony J. Di Lucci (internal combustion engine ignition system); U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,952, issued Dec. 24, 1946 to Rudolph Daub (internal combustion engine).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,636, issued Nov. 9, 1948 to Maurice P. McKay (low tension ignition system for miniature two-cycle gas engines); U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,106, issued Nov. 28, 1950 to Theodore Y. Korsgren (multiple opposed piston engine); U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,760, issued Oct. 31, 1967 to John J. Horan (engine-ignition systems and components)
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,057, issued Nov. 7, 1972 to Wolfgang Rabiger (process for control and regulation of double piston-driven engine with hydrostatic motion transducers); U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,996, issued Feb. 26, 1974 to Arthur M. Scheerer (rotary combustion engine with improved firing system); U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,839, issued Mar. 15, 1977 to William C. Pfefferle (method and apparatus for promoting combustion in an internal combustion engine using a catalyst).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,479, issued May 23, 1978 to Frank Kaye (I.C. engine having improved air or air-fuel induction system); U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,957, issued Jun. 6, 1978 to Donald Tryhorn (compression ignition internal combustion engine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,083, issued Dec. 5, 1978 to Rudolf Bock (gas cushioned free piston type engine).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,596, issued January 29, 1980 to Masaaki Noguchi et al. (two-stroke cycle gasoline engine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,660, issued Aug. 5, 1980 to Donald G. Finley (internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,745, issued Mar. 10, 1981 to Masaaki Noguchi et al. (two-stroke cycle gasoline engine).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,512, issued Nov. 17, 1981 to Dennis L. Franz (MHD engine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,349, issued Dec. 15, 1981 to Harold L. Zimmerly (internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,725, issued Mar. 23, 1982 to Frank J. Rychlik, deceased et al. (puffing swirler).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,170, issued Sep. 30, 1986 to Franz Pischinger et al. (method of starting a valve regulating apparatus for displacement-type machines); U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,798, issued Nov. 8, 1988 to Horace L. Jones (cybernetic engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,923, issued Jun. 27, 1989 to Josef Buchl (method for operating I.C. engine inlet valves).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,120, issued Jul. 11, 1989 to Josef Buchl (method of operating an internal combustion engine); U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,179, issued Jul. 3, 1990 to Hideo Kawamura (valve control system for internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,038, issued Sep. 1, 1992 to Jan Dahlgren et al. (internal combustion engine with delayed charging).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,494, issued Nov. 10, 1992 to John N. Brown, Jr. (electromagnetic valve actuator); U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,629, issued Jan. 7, 1997 to George Codina et al. (spark ignition system of an internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,780, issued Jun. 17, 1997 to Frank Duvinage et al. (inlet system for a two cycle internal combustion engine).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,053, issued Oct. 7, 1997 to Marius A. Paul et al. (high pressure compressor with controlled cooling during the compression phase); U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,834, issued Jul. 14, 1998 to Giuseppe R. Piccinini (opposed reciprocating piston internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,628, issued Sep. 1, 1998 to Carlos B. Lacerda (internal combustion engine with rail spark plugs and rail fuel injectors).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,349, issued Jun. 29, 1999 to Andreas Biemelt et al. (gasoline internal combustion engine); U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,443 B1, issued Jan. 9, 2001 to Peter Hofbauer (internal combustion engine with a single crankshaft and having opposed cylinders with opposed pistons); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,147 B1, issued Apr. 10, 2001 to Matthias Gramann et al. (magnetic screening of an actuator for electromagnetically controlling a valve).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,862 B1, issued Sep. 24, 2002 to Josef Holzmann (ignition device for piston-type internal combustion engine); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,916 B2, issued Mar. 18, 2003 to Jack L. Kerrebrock (opposed piston linearly oscillating power unit).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: Great Britain Patent Application Publication No. GB 2 030 213 A, published Apr. 2, 1980 (opposed piston engine); European Patent Application Publication No. EP 0 139 566, published May 2, 1985 (electro-hydraulic unit for the control of the valves of an internal combustion engine); and German Patent Application Publication No. DE 32 07 349 A1, published Sep. 15, 1983 (opposed-piston internal combustion engine).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: German Patent Application Publication No. DE 39 05 574 A1, published Jun. 28, 1990 (engine with a cylinder and two pistons displaceable therein); Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-252909, published Oct. 11, 1990 (opposed piston rotary type sleeve valve internal combustion engine); and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-308910, published Dec. 21, 1990 (electromagnetic force operated valve drive device).
Other art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-287814, published Oct. 13, 1992 (valve system of engine); and German Patent Application Publication No. DE 43 00 666 A1, published Jul. 22, 1993 (actuator for IC engine valve—has electromagnets with dish shaped ring poles with wedges forming cylindrical chamber for armature).
More art related to internal combustion and opposed piston engines includes: German Patent Application Publication No. DE 43 35 515 A1, published Apr. 20, 1995 (opposed-piston two-stroke internal combustion engine with spark ignition, direct fuel injection into the cylinder and stratified charge); and German Patent Application Publication No. DE 100 26 458 A1, published Dec. 13, 2001 (low-emission opposed piston 2-stroke engine with undersides of working pistons and automatic valves acting as scavenging pumps and connected to scavenging medium container).
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an opposed piston engine solving the aforementioned problems is desired.